Having had their last two Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division matches postponed, Desford finally beat the weather on Saturday, but failed to beat the curse of an early mistake which left them chasing the game.

While trying to shepherd the ball out for a goal kick, skipper Adam Willett’s pocket was picked right on the byline, and Jack Stafford knocked home the resulting cross in just the third minute.

A number of good opportunities went begging for the hosts, the most notable coming from Jordan Small’s run down the left flank, Jimmy Costello’s equally scintillating run on the opposite wing, and Arron Turner’s powerful drive from 25 yards which only curled off-target in the swirling wind at the very last second.

Smarting from manager Owen Wright’s half-time talk, Desford were straight out of the traps at the start of the second period, piling on the pressure for a prolonged spell which not only saw them equalise and then take the lead but didn’t even stop there.

Simon Goodman pushed home three minutes after the restart, finding himself unmarked at just six yards out, and while chances continued to build, it needed a penalty for Desford to inch ahead. Kirby substitute Simon Walker hadn’t been on the pitch long when he tumbled Small in the penalty area and Willett confidently converted the spot kick.

Although the visitors lost skipper Liam Joyce to a 70th minute red card, it’s unlikely even a full-strength Kirby could have stemmed Desford’s tide. And certainly nothing could have stopped substitute Aaron Dignum’s 25-yard blast, which increased the hosts’ lead in the 82nd minute.

Jordan Small made it four 90-seconds later, when Kirby failed to clear their lines after several seconds of pinballing, in which efforts from three Desford players were blocked on the line.

Midfield stalwart Dan Portch picked up the man-of-the-match award. Wright said: “He was constantly making things happen, and worked hard throughout the game.”